Blade Demon Chen Kun was a direct disciple of the Martial Demon, True Lord of Chaos, and the saber art he displayed was precisely one of the supreme blade techniques personally transmitted by his master. With saber in hand, Chen Kun tapped lightly with his foot and suddenly soared into the air like a great wild goose rising toward the heavens. Strands of saber force burst forth from the blade itself, flying out to meet the oncoming Cross Sword technique.
Dharma King Luoben bent the upper half of his body slightly forward and swept his sword outward. While Chen Kun still hovered in midair, he abruptly executed a marvelous move—his body spinning sharply as he shot forward in a whirling rush. At that critical instant, when everything hung by a thread, Dharma King Luoben suddenly changed his move. His sword pattern shifted in an instant. With a sharp clang, something incredible occurred: the very tip of Blade Demon Chen Kun's saber was caught and pinned by Dharma King Luoben's Cross Sword. Yet Luoben himself was driven backward several zhang by the force of the saber qi, his feet carving two long furrows into the ground behind him.
The warped Cross Sword did not break. In that same instant, Dharma King Luoben twisted his body aside and drew up a stream of primal yang energy from his dantian, circulating it through his entire frame. His qi sank and surged through his core. With a roar, he struck backhand with six sword blows in rapid succession, swift as meteors, quick as lightning. Blade Demon Chen Kun hastily reversed his saber art to defend himself, and the sound of clang, clang rang out without pause. These six strikes were both fierce and urgent, while the other man's swordsmanship was wondrously subtle. Chen Kun staggered and reeled as he gave ground in disorder. Left with no alternative, he sprang backward a full ten zhang before finally managing to steady himself. By then his face was flushed crimson, and he looked utterly bedraggled and humiliated.
The gathered heroes at the edge of the field could not help but burst into loud cheers. Today, Dharma King Luoben had come under the command of Great Dharma King Aluosi to probe the depth of skill possessed by this host of demons and fiends. Now he merely smiled faintly, sheathed his sword, and did not pursue the attack further.
Suddenly, a voice resounded across the field like the tolling of a great bell:"Today I have witnessed the divine skill of Dharma King Luoben, and indeed his reputation is no empty one!"
The speaker's tone was steady, yet beneath it lay immense internal power. Plainly, he was no ordinary master.
Having fought in succession against the Martial Demon's three disciples, Dharma King Luoben had displayed awe-inspiring might and greatly raised the morale of the righteous side. At these sudden words, all present turned their heads as one, only to see a man striding proudly forward.
The newcomer had a face like polished jade, eyes bright as stars, a powerful build, and a bearing full of dignity. In a ringing voice he declared:"Dharma King Luoben is a peerless martial prodigy of the Jing Sect. Today, by facing the three disciples of the Martial Demon alone, he has truly opened the eyes of all the gathered heroes. This old man bears the surname Zu and the given name Zong. In the jianghu I am known as the Undying Heavenly Demon. I have come especially to receive instruction from Dharma King Luoben's supreme art!"
At these words, cries of shock rose from the crowd. Throughout the jianghu it was said that the Undying Heavenly Demon cultivated the Art of the Undying Heavenly Demon, a demonic martial discipline of utmost yin and evil, and that by means of it he had preserved his youth. In truth, this man was already past seventy, yet he still retained the appearance of a man in his prime. His martial cultivation had long since reached the point of perfection. His real name was Gu Changming—not Zu Zong at all.
Hearing this, Dharma King Luoben returned the Cross Sword to the Jing Sect disciple behind him. At that moment, Great Dharma King Jiade stepped out from the crowd, cupped his fists respectfully, and said:"I have long admired Senior's profound martial attainment. Dharma King Luoben has already battled three opponents in succession. For him to fight again at this moment would be most unfair. I am Great Dharma King Jiade. I wish to seek instruction from Senior with bare hands. I only ask that you do not begrudge me your teaching."
Great Dharma King Jiade stepped into the arena, calm and composed, his extraordinary bearing seeming wholly natural, enough to inspire admiration at a glance. The Undying Heavenly Demon gave a slight nod and praised him:"Great Dharma King Jiade is the master who instructed Dharma King Luoben. His skill surely surpasses Luoben's by far. For him to take the field now does not disgrace the name of the Undying Heavenly Demon."
Just then, two men leapt out from behind the Undying Heavenly Demon and cried in unison:"Undying Heavenly Demon, conserve your strength for now. Let the Ice and Fire Demons first test them!"
Before their words had even faded, two men also rushed forward from behind Great Dharma King Jiade. They were none other than Dharma King Zhou Yu and Dharma King Chu Ping of the Fire Worship Sect. Their expressions were grave, and each thought to himself: How can Great Dharma King Jiade lower himself to compare bare-handed skill with such evil-path experts? Better that we go first!
Dharma King Zhou Yu stepped forward, cupped his fists, and said:"Ice and Fire Demons, which of you will fight first?"
The Ice and Fire Demons exchanged a glance, and a trace of slyness flashed in their eyes. Well now, they thought. One of them stepped forward and said coldly:"I am the Ice Demon. I shall be the first to receive your instruction."
This man was exceedingly ugly in appearance, about forty years of age, and exuded a chilling aura that pressed upon all nearby. He was none other than Ice Demon Bing Tian, famed throughout the jianghu for his Frost Palm. His brother, Fire Demon Huo Ming, was ordinary of face, but his gaze was sharp and bright, and his bearing steady and firm. He was known for his Blazing Fire Palm.
Dharma King Zhou Yu smiled faintly and said,"Please."
The moment the word left his lips, he stamped one step forward and drove a punch straight toward the Ice Demon's chest. The move was incomparably swift, like a flash of lightning or a spark from flint. Zhou Yu launched a rapid flurry of punches, his arms blurring into afterimages while the sound of splitting air rose sharply about him. Yet how could Ice Demon Bing Tian be an easy foe? He let out a cold snort, gathered strength in both palms, and unleashed force vast as a torrent. The instant Zhou Yu entered the range of his palm power, Zhou Yu immediately brought forth the Fire Worship Sect's supreme art—the Flame Palm. His hands crossed and wheeled in swift succession, the force of the Flame Palm fierce and overbearing, producing a roaring sound as it struck forth.
Ice Demon Bing Tian sneered."Flame Palm? Truly impressive! Then sample my Frost Palm as well!"
With that, both his palms shot out together, and a biting wave of icy qi spread at once through the air. In an instant, the two streams of internal power collided violently, giving rise to a strange current mixed of blazing heat and freezing cold. Fine frost-mist and rising steam swirled together in the air. All the gathered heroes were astonished. Such a contest was seldom seen—the intertwining of flame and frost in midair created a scene bizarre beyond compare.
Zhou Yu's right arm trembled violently as he felt a sinister chill invade him, like a tide of winter cold seeping into the marrow. Ice Demon's attacks were ruthless; his palm force spread in all directions, and in the blink of an eye his offensive had become a raging storm. The onlookers were shaken by the sheer viciousness of his moves. His left hand shifted unpredictably between fist and palm, poisonous and malevolent beyond measure.
Seeing the danger, Dharma King Zhou Yu gathered his internal strength to the fullest and met the attack head-on. The two exchanged fists and palms in rapid succession, and within moments they had already traded dozens of moves.
Suddenly, Ice Demon Bing Tian slashed out with three claw strikes in a blur—swish, swish, swish—his claw-shadows sweeping through the air like gusting wind. Zhou Yu immediately leapt backward to evade them, but who could have expected the Ice Demon's footwork to be so strange? In an instant he lunged forward through the air, his right palm shooting out like lightning to seize Zhou Yu.
Zhou Yu remained calm and unhurried. With a nimble turn, he drew the force away and tried to neutralize it. Yet unexpectedly, Ice Demon Bing Tian struck with sudden violence, driving a palm straight toward his chest. Seeing there was no room left to evade, Zhou Yu roared and thrust out both palms together. The two sides' palm power clashed head-on with a tremendous boom!, and Zhou Yu staggered backward several paces.
Seeing his attack succeed, Ice Demon Bing Tian spread his body forward, preparing to follow up with another palm. But suddenly, a shadow flashed, and a fierce burst of force struck at him from the side.
Pa! With a sharp crack, Ice Demon Bing Tian was knocked back several steps. The newcomer was none other than Dharma King Chu Ping. Seeing Zhou Yu in peril, he had acted decisively to save him, suddenly sweeping out a horizontal palm strike in a maneuver akin to "Besieging Wei to Rescue Zhao," combining both attack and defense in one stroke.
Ice Demon Bing Tian laughed coldly."Then let the two Dharma Kings come at me together!"
Zhou Yu and Chu Ping exchanged a glance, then immediately sprang into the air and launched a fierce joint assault. The three men clashed in a blur, palm-shadows flying and currents of force lashing outward. In the space of a few breaths they were already embroiled in a battle too tangled to unravel.
Then, without warning, Ice Demon Bing Tian employed a strange drawing and deflecting technique. His wrists flipped sharply, his arms shook violently, and the cold qi around him surged. In rapid succession he unleashed several linked palm strikes.
Only two explosive cracks were heard—bang! bang!—and to the astonishment of all present, Dharma King Zhou Yu and Dharma King Chu Ping were both sent flying backward. Staggering uncontrollably, they crashed to the ground! The reversal had come so suddenly that the gathered heroes were struck dumb with shock, and not a single one had time to intervene.